Monday, December 12, 2011

Dr Benedict Tan's House Gathering 2011

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

House Gathering - Discussion on good news and bad news.

Picture 1 - The discussion was on running, triathlon and ironman race.

The lunch was around 12noon. It was raining. Somehow, I was able to see Dr Ben Tan's house and he was directing me from his house on how to come in.

To my surprise, I saw Daniel Ling and his wife. After so long, I am meeting Daniel Ling. I saw the rest of them and started talking to them while having lunch with them.

The hottest topic of the day was on Standard Chartered Marathon 2011. We believed that a lot of improvement can be done.

Firstly, we felt that the spectators like us should be allowed easy access to the race route throughout the run. After seeing Ashley Liew at the 4km mark, Ruben Galen and I tried all our best to go to some parts of the race. However, it was proven difficult. We tried going to Orchard Road, but there was a lot of detours and finally, somehow I drove my car to Mountbatten Road to see the 26km mark, as we were able to see last year's race from East Coast. This year, we were not allowed to see anything. Coaches like us were treated like outsiders who may spoil the race. We were there to cheer the runners and I believe can be improved to a great extent as this would improve the runners' time for the marathon.

In Gold Coast Marathon Race 2011, the 10km race was held a day before. Ashley and I were able to see this from our rented flat. On the day of the marathon at Gold Coast, the half marathon route was diametrically opposite to the marathon race route. Hence, there was no collision. In Berlin Marathon 2008, the race is purely a marathon race and there is no other race. The rollerblade marathon race that they had, which was popular, was held a day before, not together on a Sunday.

The water points could be improved. Some runners that I had spoken to told me that the water point was not enough. During the lunch, we felt that by putting enough water points runners will definitely improve their timing. There were enough water points at the 1994 Singapore marathon. During that time, I realised that I did 2hr 34min 02sec in the year 1994 in Singapore, just one year before the Chiengmai, Thailand SEA Games, where I did 2hr 24min 22sec.

The distance markers should be for every kilometre and not for some distances. Distance markers should be made very visible as the runners have put a lot of effort training for the marathon. There is a lot of time, money and effort involved. Organisers could do something to ensure that runners can pace themselves when they run. Else, they won't know how to judge and this is not good for the runners' safety as well.

The 10km and half - marathon had bottlenecks where many told me that their timing was off because of this. I believe that organisers could do something about this as this does not affect the top runners for both local and elite. Definitely, it affects those who are doing the half-marathon race.

There were about 5 hills for the half-marathon. The route should be made such that the route is flatter and not hilly. The marathon route had one long stretch of a long hill. Something could be done on this.

After our lunch, I thanked Dr Ben Tan for inviting me and I bid goodbye to him and his wife and left the place.

Note:

By Narayanan

Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Oon Shui Kun - 3hr 24min in Singapore StanChart Marathon 2011 (First Experience)

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Picture 1- Oon Shui Kun (left) and Rameshon (right). Oon Shui Kun's first marathon time was 3hr 24 with 30km per week training

Last year, around end January 2010, I had a post on Onn Shui Kun doing 35min 11sec on a tarmac track while Ashley Liew did 35min 14sec. I have mentioned that, besides S. Jeevanesh having the potential to do well in the future, Oon Shui Kun also has the talent to do well in a long-distance race in future.

Right now, Shui Kun is doing his course in Police for his 2 1/2 years of National Service and he hardly had the time to train. Both of us had discussed the training programme in MacRitchie Reservoir and realised that it would be good to make the best out of the worst situation. He thought of making use of the very limited time he was given and trained accordingly. Whenever I was running near Jelutong Tower in Macritchie, I used to see Shui Kun running during weekends.

He told me that on other days he hardly had the time to train for long-distance. His doing 3hr 24min in the recent first marathon was phenomenal considering his very low mileage. Hence, I thought that it would be a good idea to showcase a determined and disciplined runner like Oon Shui Kun to the public to motivate others to run.

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2010/10/oon-shui-kun-undiscovered-long-distance.html

An Interview With Oon Shui Kun

How did you train for the marathon?

Between April and December, I was preparing to train to complete the marathon.

How about your weekends?

Usually, no runs but the PT or further known as Physical Training did help me to improve in my running, even though there was no running training. With more running training, I would have done much better. Overall, my running training was for twice per week and it was not enough.

Why did you take part in the marathon?

I am planning to take the marathon seriously in the future and was thinking of experiencing one this year.

How was your mileage like when you train for this marathon?

My mileage was about 30km around there. Not much. My weekend formed about 95 per cent of the mileage training per week.

Can you tell us your one long run per week that you have done for this race?

Once a week, I did 20km run.

Can you share with us your experience running the first marathon in your life?

I thought that I could run all the way easily not knowing that I will be hitting the wall at the 30km mark. I was running in a comfortable manner all the way. At the last 10km, my glycogen stores were completed depleted and I had to make the best out of the worst situation. People say that the day was hot but it was not so for me. It was hot but not too hot. I felt that we started the race at 5am and this was good enough for me to not find the weather not that hot as others have mentioned to me.

However, I still find that there were not enough water points. There were missing distance markers especially between 20km and 30km, it was not so for the earlier distances, even though some markers were not around between 1km and 5km. It would be a good idea to make all markers from 1km to 42km markers visible.

How is your feeling about the race since it is your first time completing the marathon?

I am feeling great as this is my first marathon. I am not able to describe this feeling, especially when I could finish the marathon distance.

What is your future goal?

This completion of 3hr 24min is a great success for me. I find that I would like to take up a marathon and am hoping to do well in the future to succeed in this chosen sport of mine.

Next Issue - Lunch Treat at Dr Benedict Tan's house

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Samir Bhandari - Massive weight loss from 84kg to 74kg in 4 months

Note:

By M.Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Picture 1 - Samir is on the right-hand side of me, wearing a black t-shirt standing.

I met Samir Bhandari, 5ft 9inches, aged 45, who had decided to train for the half-marathon of the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon this year. He is at present working in Nomura Bank as a Managing Director (Fixed Income - Asia, excluding Japan).

Having not participated for any marathon, he asked me on how to run the marathon. I told him that if he wants to do a sub-4 hour in 1-3 years he could start running the half-marathon race first. Hence, he started training for it. I had to go slow on his program and my focus was on reducing his weight first and then to do proper training. Earlier, he went down in his weight from 84 and it went down to 79kg. He was also running a 10km in 1hr 20min at first and I saw this as very slow. This took about a month. His weight loss was within 2 months. Then, his weight fluctuated between 77 and 79 for some time. One month before the Stanchart Marathon, he did slightly more training and finally did the half-marathon in 2hr 23min and 43sec. At the same time, his weight has gone down to 74kg.

Right now, he is able to run a 10km in about 1hr to 1hr 05min and Samir is very happy with this kind of respectable training that is going on.

In this post, he shares with us on why he had decided on running the half-marathon this year.

An Interview With Samir Bhandari

What was your weight in the past?

When I started the programme with you it was 84kg. I have this written in my diary which is dated 9th August 2011.

Did you run when you were young?

No running history at all. I did not participate in any race at all either.

What was the activity that you were doing when you were in the past?

Only in the age between 30 and 42, I was playing tennis twice per week.

What about later on?

Between the age of 42 and 45 years of age, I did twice per week gym work with no running

Can you share with us on your weight loss diet?

Recently, I reduced the consumption of drinking, and at night I did not take any rice or chappati or deserts. I ensured that I am well hydrated at all time, at least drinking 2 litres of water per day. I also ensured that I eat enough fruits per day.

Why was the reason for running the half-marathon?

I took up half-marathon for the sake of losing weight and for relieving stress through the correct way - exercise by running. I tend to focus on running and forget everything. Also, many people do not take part in 21km races. I realised that it would be a sense of achievement to do this. Hence, I took part in the race. Right now, to run frequently is an addiction for me.

How was your training like?

I trained with Rameshon for 2 times per week earlier on, going on to 3 and then 4 times per week subsequently. Later on, I did a mock run and did the 20km in 2hr 09min, using the GPS.

How did your family feel about your achievement?

My wife and children were all there cheering for me during the race. All were proud of me. My father from India was very happy to hear that I have completed the run successfully. My friends congratulated me by phoning me, using SMS and my workplace people also congratulated me.

How did you feel achieving 2hr 23min 43sec?

A bit disappointed that I could have done 2hr 15min if there were more water points this would have been possible. The weather was also hot and humid. Moreover, there was the incoming crowd from 10km that we had to experience. This slowed my time a lot. Also, before the race, there were too many people. The terrain was also a tough one where we had to negotiate 5 uphills and downhills. Luckily, I did some form of hill training.

What is your next target?

I would like to achieve a time between 2hr 05min and 2hr 10min for the upcoming Mumbai Stanchart Marathon in India on 18th of January 2012.

Overall how is your general feeling on the race?

I feel that I am on top of the world achieving this time and am looking forward to reducing another 3kg and achieve the goal time that I have set. I am thankful to Coach Rameshon to bring my weight down from 84kg to 74kg within 4 months and also to enable me to complete the half-marathon in 2hr 23min 43sec.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Runner who died is one of the fitter ones in BMT

flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

The runner who died "one of the fitter ones" in BMT

AsiaOne reported that the 22-year-old who died after the Standard Chartered half marathon (21km) race on Sunday had been described as a "man of steel".

Malcolm Sng collapsed at the finish line of Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon at about 8.30am, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 9.30am.

Daniel Koh and his platoon sergeant, Mr Shoban Ramakrishnam told the same thing about Malcolm Sng.

His time of 1hr 53min 20sec shows that there was some form of training done before the run.

It was noted that it was his second half-marathon event that he participated in. He ran in the Army Half marathon in September this year.

It was felt that Malcolm was reported to be a role model type and bright and has dedications towards sports.

The runner who died described as "man of steel". He is believed to be a well-liked person as well.

Note:

By Narayanan

Vegetarian Society's Idea of Compassion

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Vegetarian Society - Meeting George Jacob and Ganga Sudhan

All along due to my commitment to running and sports, I did not have time to meet people.

After a few months of e-mail, finally, I met George Jacobs on 15th November on a Tuesday. He is the Vegetarian Society President. It was, a month back, and the meeting took place in the morning at Tiong Bahru Coffee Bean.

My intern Marcel Sng was there to take notes on the Vegetarian Society's current movement and the noble services they are doing to the society. I realised from Ganga Sudhan, the person-in-charge of website and media, speaking to me on the new things that they are trying to do to make people aware of being a vegetarian.

I have covered on George Jacobs in my earlier blog. Hence, I will not discuss this as I have attached a link to it. http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2010/06/george-jacobs-president-of-vegetarian.html

Ganga spoke at length on being compassionate to animals and the good news was he told me that some schools have allowed the Vegetarian Society to speak on meatless on Thursday. He told me that this is a new movement and Ganga was hoping that it will take off. Pro -Teach, a child-care centre having 29 outlets, has a day per week where children take only vegetarian food. I support this and hope that all schools will have as this which will definitely have an impact on the environment as a whole. Boys and girls will be less obese. It is in the hope that many will follow a compassionate way of living that I am featuring this in my blog. More food will be channelled to the needy ones instead of the animals. I was told by Ganga that the world has enough food to ensure that nobody goes hungry. However, this is not the case for the proper distribution of food to the needy.

Another movement of the VSS is to introduce vegetarian diet to the shops. I was invited to El Toro at Penang Road and Ms Joy Mahbubahni told me that they don't mind adding a vegetarian diet like salad buffet for $9.90 on Thursdays to their shop to encourage healthy living. I hope that many, if possible all, can follow this.

Ganga Sudhan invited me to come for a lunch treat to a vegetarian shop to hear him talk about being vegetarian. I listened to the talk and found the talk very worthwhile and enlightening. I realised that animals and the poultry farm are reared in a very unnatural way as compared to the past. I saw pictures which showed animals having a 'prisoner state of condition' in terms of the living environment. I also would like to write in detail on the talk given to others in this blog in Part 2.

Next issue: Ganga Sudhan's message on why being vegetarian will be good.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Jonathan Kang's Message: Run Faster But Run Safely (Report from SGH)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Jonathan Kang - An experience with severe dehydration.

Picture 1 - Jonathan Kang is in stable condition with me in the middle and Lim Thow Wee on the right of the photo.

Jonathan Kang - Still believes that one should run and tPictuiijdofiaj
Jonaake precautions.

Jonathan Kang told me that just before he got admitted to hospital, Malcolm Sng was the one the doctors were trying to revive. When it failed for Malcolm, the doctors were very worried about Jonathan's condition. Jonathan, who ran the marathon and stopped, at the 37km mark. He knew that he was about to dip his personal best and was about to do a 3hr 16min. He was very confident in doing this.

While running during the race, and supported by a fellow partner in running by the name of Lim Thow Wee, who was not able to run Stanchart marathon as he had plantar fasciitis injury, Jonathan just felt his whole body becoming numb. Before this happened, he was running in a zig-zag manner.

Later on, an ambulance attended to him and the doctors in SGH started to assist him. At near midnight, I was told that he was at the hospital and I went to see him there. I was relieved to find him feeling better. He also was going through a severe dehydration condition. Upon request, he relented to give answers to my questions.

He is still in the Singapore General Hospital. We are hoping that he can leave in one or two days time.

Note:

By Narayanan

Sunday, December 4, 2011

My True Experience With Severe Dehydration

Note:

By Murugiah Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

There was once, when I was still doing my teaching practice at Dunearn Secondary School, at the age of 22, I took part in a 10km men open race. Even before the race, I was very determined to come in top 3 with many top runners running in it.

Right from the start of the race, I was following my fellow former competitor by the name of Helmar Aslaksen, who had a personal best time of 31min 01sec for 10km. We were running all the way and then I realised that I was going to the point of being not comfortable and started to still keep running very hard and I was neck and neck with Helmar.

Then, at one point, actually, I did not know what was going on. I was actually in a state of shock and was actually walking to the finishing. The people did not realise that I was not aware of what was going on. I did not know what was happening. This happened at the last 100m. From the last 100m till the end, the only thing I saw was the finish banner.

Later on, the doctors were trying to bring me to consciousness and were doing their best to ice my body. This helped me to bring my awareness. The doctor who was attending me told me that he used to compete with me in the past and he was very friendly.

Subsequently, I was sent to Singapore General Hospital. There I was given IV (intra-venous) drips to get my sodium, chloride and glucose solution. However, I realised that I could not move an inch of my body. Each time I move a part of my body, there was muscular cramps. Hence, I immobilised myself.

Over a period of time, I was able to move my hands and legs. It took about 2 days and there were still check-ups. On the fourth day, I was allowed to be sent back. Later on, I was told that our team Swift Club came in champions and they needed my position to win. I was 10th and I finished the race.

I found the real cause to be having drunk a lot of concentrated fruit juice which was sold in packets which we can drink without adding water. This must have made my blood more concentric, with the lack of water in the blood.

My firm advice to all is to think of your loved ones and God-given life first, then think about the team. Lastly, we should think about winning individual. If we cannot do well in this race, there are many races that we can do to do well. While we are running, if we do not feel well, we must stop immediately. Heat stress can be more dangerous than cold stress. Hydrating a day before the race is very important so that we do not feel dehydrated during the race. In fact, hydration should be part of our life.

From my earlier experience, I had decided that I should not play with fire during the run. If I just don't feel well, I would stop. This happened in London Marathon 2007 where I stopped and walked because of the hot weather which came as a surprise to all. I did 3hr 05min for the race and I did not do well. A man in the race actually completed the race, collapsed and died that year. About 4 months later I took part in Berlin on that year and did a sub 2hr 54min. Over time, I did 2hr 49min in the year 2008 in the Standard Chartered Marathon in Singapore and won the men open marathon race. Hence, sometimes it is better to stop when the body signals to stop. The watchwords have listened to the body.

Note:

By Narayanan